The Ger

Traditional Dwelling of the Buryats

In Buryat Mongolian ger simply means "home." In Russian it is known as a yurta, hence it is more commonly known in English as a "yurt." The ger
is not only the traditional dwelling of the Buryats, but of all
Mongolian peoples as well as of the Kazakh, Kirghiz, Tuvans, Tatars,
Yakuts, and other Central Asian and Siberian peoples. The most commonly
known kind of ger is the nomads' ger, which is used by almost all Central Asian nomads, including Mongols and some of the Buryats.

This kind of ger is easily assembled and disassembled,
and its components can be loaded on a couple of camels or on a yak
cart(a Russian truck is more commonly used today). It is made of a
wooden framework covered by large pieces of felt. A decorative cloth
covering may be laid over the felt, as seen in these two gers. The ropes which go around the ger, called bus (belts), are usually made of braided horse mane and tail hair. The wooden framework consists of collapsible walls hana, topped by poles (un') radiating from a central smokehole ring (,i>tono). The pictures of ger interiors below show this framework quite clearly.

The picture below shows a nomadic Buryat ger erected in the Siberian mountain forest. Beside the ger you can see a serge (tethering pole) for the horses. The serge
is typically Buryat and is not used by other Mongols, and also has
great significance in shamanism (see the Shamanism page for the article
on sacred trees for information about the ceremonial serge). This drawing is by the famous Buryat artist Sampilov.

The wooden ger
is a permanent structure and is more commonly found in Siberia in areas
where the inhabitants do not nomadize as often. Many Buryat families
would keep one ger for the winter and another for the summer in better grazing areas. Wooden gers
are rare in Central Asia except in parts of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia
inhabited by Buryats. Wooden gers are always eight sided and many
resemble the hooghan of the Navajo. While the ones pictured
here have simple wooden roofs it is not unusual for the roof to have a
layer of earth on top of it for insulation. Unfortunately in all areas
of Siberia the wooden ger is disappearing in favor of the
Russian log cabin. They are still fairly common in the Sayan Mountains
region, in Aga, Ust-Orda, and in Buryat areas in Mongolia.

Here are a couple of pictures showing the inside of the ger. To the right is a view looking from east to west, from the women's side to the men's side. By tradition the ger
always faces south, with the eastern side being the women's and the
western side being the men's side. This applies to sitting arrangements
and arrangements of household goods. This is a reflection of the
Mongolian cosmology, which is described in the shamanism page. In the
center you can see the gulamta, place of the fire, with the tulga,
three rings supported on legs which is the framework for holding pots
and roasting spits. On the far wall is the goatskin bag for making airag, also known as kumiss,
an alcoholic drink made from mares' milk. The handle sticking out is
used for churning the milk while it ferments. Behind it the wooden
framework of the ger is clearly visible.

Below is the interior of a Buryat ger looking north.
The woman is making milk tea, the traditional Mongolian tea, while her
daughter churns milk. On the north side, slightly to the left in this
picture, one can see the hoimor, home shrine, where all of the
family sacred objects are kept. The shrine is always located at the
north side or slightly to the northwest, for the north side of the ger is considered to be the most honorable part. Here again you can see the framework of the ger from the inside.

Below is a sketch of typical wooden Buryat gers from the Eastern Sayan Mountains, Tunhen Aimag. Here you can see a simple brush roofed shelter and a cross section of the ger showing its framework.

Ursa: Siberian Tepees

In Siberia and some parts of Mongolia an alternative shelter to the ger is the ursa, also known as a chum in other languages. Like the ger it has both a permanent and nomadic form. The nomads' ursa
is made of poles overlaid with caribou hides, such as those pictured
above and to the right used by herdsmen in the Sayan Mountains. They
are designed to be easily taken down and transported from place to
place. This kind of shelter is used not only in Buryatia and Mongolia,
but are also used by the Samoyed, Evenks, Chukchi, and several other
nationalities, even those living in the high arctic in places like the
Yamal peninsula.

Another type of ursa
is not portable, and is made of wood and bark. Some, such as the
fisherman's shelter pictured below, are temporary and are set up as
needed. Such simple ursa may be made simply of branches and brush. The wooden ursa may be used as a permanent shelter by those who are too poor to afford to construct a ger.

An example of an ursa used as a home by a poor family
can be found in the Geser epic, from which the picture to the left is
taken. It is said that Sengelen Noyon and Naran Goohon were very poor,
having no livestock but simply living off of fish and small game they
caught in the forest, such as the rabbits hanging from the pole. This
kind of ursa is overlaid with sheets of bark that provide good insulation even in the winter as well as being waterproof. Wooden ursa are also used by other nationalities besides the Buryats, especially the Evenk who live in the northern part of Buryatia.

Below is the interior of an ursa, illustrating the
boyhood home of Geser. The sheets of bark are clearly visible in the
walls. In accord with Buryat custom there are three rocks in the hearth
for supporting the pot; it is traditional that at the time of a nomadic
move that the stone pointing in the direction of the new campsite is
moved first to break the circle. The baby Geser is lying in an urgii,
traditional cradle. These cradles are usually hung from the overhead
beams so that they can be rocked. The bone handing from the cradle is
not a toy, rather it is an ongon, an amulet for a shamanic spirit protecting the baby.

Here is another view taken in the 1920's in the Tunhen region of the
Sayan Mountains, showing a cradle being hung from the overhanging
poles. The bag hanging over the baby's head is an ongon of the bear spirit, a powerful protector of the child.

Below you can find a couple of links to other sites about gers. This page, however, is to my knowledge the only place where you can find information about the wooden Buryat ger.